#layne stein

[ambular-d]

Psst.  Got six minutes to spare?

Wanna hear something awesome?

VoicePlay just released an a capella cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters, and it is glorious.

Nothing Else Matters - VoicePlay

For those not familiar, VoicePlay is a group of skilled professional vocalists who’ve been performing for over a decade.  Although they’re known as the ‘theater kids of a capella’ and their videos are often cinematic, playful or even downright goofy, none of that is in evidence here.  This performance is restrained, contemplative, masterful, and eminently respectful of James Hetfield’s iconic 1992 power ballad.

Geoff (Bass,) Layne (Baritone and Percussion,) Eli (Tenor,) Cesar (Tenor/Baritone,) featured guest J.None (Baritone), indefatigable Production Manager Kathy Castellucci, and their crew went through hell to get this video put together.  The result, IMO, speaks for itself.

tl;dr: It rocks.

[fangirl-of-music]

Let's talk about Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire from Hunchback of Notre Dame

I know they've done snippets of the song before, but this full length masterpiece of acting and vocal parts combined NEEDS to be talked about.

(For those of you who haven't seen it, GO WATCH IT)

This song is such a good choice for Geoff and for basses in general since the role of Frollo in the Hunchback musical was written for a bass and Patrick Page does spectacularly. The role is very dark and deals with mature and intense subjects like lust and desire and the character handles it very very poorly. But that's what makes him interesting. We love to hate Frollo, and giving him a low bass vocal part is perfectly suited for a character with such a dark and twisted character.

Layne has arranged the song perfectly, allowing Geoff to have all the time he needs to portray the character's thought process. The character turns from piety to fear of the monstrous feelings growing in him and what God will do to him should he sin, and then he gets angry and turns his blame on Esmeralda, claiming that she is to blame for his sinful thoughts. Geoff portrays Frollo's descent into obsession perfectly. Eli's intense rock belt is so powerful and lends to the song's intense tone. Cesar's breathy and frantic "It's not my fault!" perfectly displays Frollo's desperation as he fights his lust and then turns any blame away from himself by saying that he could never have fought this evil off when "if in God's plan he made the Devil so much stronger than a man".

Geoff's low notes are especially good and powerful in this song (thanks to Layne as I stated in my last Voiceplay post) and his acting make this probably my favorite Voiceplays song EVER. I have always loved Hunchback's music, and seeing Voiceplay perform this song so well has only made me love it more. And while the low notes do seem to bring Frollo closer and closer to Hellfire (or the Devil), Geoff's growly high notes also bring out Frollo's determination and ravid mannerism the song and the idea of Esmeralda has brought out in him. The high notes are unexpected, but anyone who saw the video knows they are insane and crazy and beautiful and a little scary.

Thanks for listening to my rambling.

[yoursinharmony]

Black Hole Sun - VoicePlay ft. Anthony Gargiula (acapella) Soundgarden #...

This is just mind-blowing 🤯 As someone who loves the original and ADORES the cyberpunk aesthetic, it's like VoicePlay put this piece of art together for me specifically. Treat your ears today and give it a listen.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hellfire

As IF I was ever going to skip over this video!!!!

Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire was released on the 7th of October, 2023 (being their Halloween upload for the year), and, fun fact, it was the first Voiceplay video I watched after a sort of personal "hiatus" of 1-1.5 years, where they had somehow fallen off my radar for a while (which can happen when A, you weren't originally subscribed to them and mostly just relied on the Youtube algorithm/recommended section, and B, you previously only watched videos for songs you were already familiar with (I know better now though, obviously), plus a few other random factors). Geoff's cover of Jack's Lament was the first from his channel I had seen in quite a while (thank you YouTube algorithm for actually being helpful!), and I stumbled upon Hellfire the following day. And man what a video to bring me back into the fold!

Both video and arrangement were done Layne, and although this is another "guest feature" for J None (he did 5 full-length videos with Voiceplay in 2023!), he's only a backing vocalist for most of this one. Who took lead vocals? Geoff! Apparently Layne was wanting Voiceplay to do a cover of Hellfire for quite a while, and had always envisioned Geoff as the main singer for it, but Geoff, for a long time, said no. I don't know/can't remember what his exact reasoning was; whether he just thought the song was too dark or he thought he wouldn't be able to do it justice, but obviously Layne eventually managed to persuade him (made him an arrangement he couldn't refuse, I'm guessing, because seriously this arrangement is STUNNING), and quite frankly I am forever in Layne's debt for it!

I have no estimate of how long this post might be or how much I'll actually have to say about the screencaps I share, but I'll try to make this worthwhile, and so without further ado, let's get into this!

Pretty "basic"/"simple" visuals here, but honestly that's all that's needed for this one! For one thing, the vocals/arrangement are amazing enough to shine on their own (kinda like with Nothing Else Matters), and for another thing, this may be a Disney villain song, but at the same time it's not really a "Disney Song", y'know? This ain't Friends On The Other Side, or Poor Unfortunate Souls, or Be Prepared; this is a song about deep internal conflict, "burning desire", and attempts to suppress said burning desire, which only leads to more trouble. This is a villain song taken completely seriously, and boy oh boy do Voiceplay nail it!

(I feel like I should also mention that I've never actually watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, but I know the characters, I know the story, and this song speaks for itself tbh.)

I mean of course all the guys understood the assignment for this one but Cesar really Understood👏The👏Assignment!👏

I can't believe I'm having one of my "hang on a minute-" moments on freaking Hellfire of all videos, but somehow I never noticed the purple gemstone ring that Eli is wearing here before now! (And Cesar is wearing a red gemstone ring as well, which I only just spotted in a previous shot).

Yep, Layne's got a gemstone ring on as well!

I'm guessing J has got a matching ring as well, but I'm fairly certain Geoff doesn't, because he's got this gemstone necklace instead, which of course helps to further identify him as the lead vocalist/"main character" in this one.

(And even though Voiceplay seem to wear black/dark colours a fair bit (and Geoff does a lot), I still really freaking love the costuming in this video. They all look so good!!!!!)

Yep, there it is! J has a ring as well!

"BURN IT"

((If you've been reading/paying attention to all my Voiceplay Visuals posts, you might have picked up that usually, Geoff is the only one who gets bold font for quotes, but I'm more than willing to make an exception this time, because goddamn))

"This fire in my skin"

The way he looks down at his hands and arms as if feeling himself changing, as if there really are flames coursing right underneath the surface of the skin!!!!

"This burning desire, is turning me to s i n"

Not here to make fun or tease this time, certainly not! Geoff did a fantastic acting job in this one, and his delivery of every single vocal line was just absolutely *chefs kiss*

Everyone else was brilliant in this too, and Cesar absolutely had some attention-grabbing moments of his own! 😄

The "it's not my fault!" section of the song is really cleverly done here imo. (it's technically visual as well! I can talk about it!) It gives other members a bit more of a chance to shine, in a song which (aside from the Latin chanting in the background) is only meant to be a one-man performance. And the video (arrangement included) does this by turning Layne, J, Eli, and Cesar into a sort of Greek Chorus, or more specifically, a "singing chorus" (yes, that's a real thing, which I learned about when I was double-checking to see if I actually remembered the correct meaning of Greek Chorus). Singing choruses are sometimes incorporated into musical theatre and grand opera, and are "used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters, after the manner of a Greek chorus." And while Eli and Cesar are taking over the lead for this bit here, Geoff becomes a little bit more subdued, head slightly bowed, just doing some little self-conducting hand movements as he holds down the bassline (I'm assuming, though I can't really hear him at all in the background until his arpeggios(?) when J takes over (look, sometimes you really can't fully describe/talk about what's happening on screen without talking about the audio that goes with it!!!))

Cesar with the sick air guitar! (Not all reactors seemingly noticed this moment, which is a damn crime tbh (you can actually see him doing it in the group shot just a few seconds before this too, though that part I myself didn't pick up on till just now))

I can't remember seeing a single reaction video (out of the ones I've watched at least) that actually figured out who the Guard was, even though it's in the description of the video! (Though I guess those who were watching from Patreon have more of an excuse). It's Tony! (Also, this means that this video featured 4 "generations" of Voiceplay baritones - Layne, Tony, J, and Cesar!)

I've heard one or two reactors say they wish they could have seen the guard's face, but nah, I don't think it's necessary. He's there to provide Relevant Information for progression of the plot/song/scene, and that's it! His identity is irrelevant!

(But still, shoutout to Tony!)

"what" (hhhhhh)

"I'll find her,"

"I'll find her and I'll find her if I have to burn down all of PARIS!"

(He did so well! <3 <3 <3)

At first when I watched this video I was like "wow I really love this video, but should I like this video so much? Considering the context/meaning behind the song and all that?" That lasted for like maybe a week maximum. I adore this cover and this video and I make no apologies about it!)

*swoon*

Very cool flame effect in the eyes! According to one reaction video I watched, that likely was not easy to do, but it's a great addition to the already-very-awesome video!

The zoom-out on Geoff is done brilliantly for dramatic effect here as well!

Do I even need to say it at this point? 😂😅

Well anyway, obligatory "he's so pretty!" comment

(Here's a slight shot of Cesar's ring btw)

Man I love it when he belts <3

Firstly, the absolute power and feeling that Geoff put into this, like it's absolutely amazing to watch and it delights me to no end. Secondly, I wasn't going to include that third pic above, but turns out Geoff is wearing a gemstone ring as well! (maybe more than one?) I knew he was wearing rings in the video, but I just assumed they were his wedding/engagement rings, as he pretty much always wears them in videos (unless he can't for costuming purposes), one on each hand, but now I wonder if he was in fact wearing them at all in this video?

Excuse me while I just- *muffled yelling into pillow*

As I type this, Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire is just 4,700 views away from reaching one million hits on YouTube! I hope it gets there, it certainly deserves it (and more!). (UPDATE: As of the morning of the 20th of February (AEST timezone), it's now at one million views! Can I hear a wahoo!?!) (SECOND UPDATE: and it's now at over 1.1 million, as of the 25th of March!)

It's not exactly a typical Halloween-type video for Voiceplay, no super-elaborate character costumes or coloured face/body paint, but just like practically everything Voiceplay did in 2023, this was EPIC!

But anyway, I'll be skipping over Whiskey In The Jar, and I'm not doing any posts about Christmas videos (for now), which means that I'm finally onto the first two full-length uploads of 2024! (And I really would have expected there to be a third 2024 upload by this point, but it seems we're just gonna have to keep on waiting.) Stay tuned!

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔄𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔦𝔫 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰.

 📷: ℭ𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔰 ℭ𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔩

[treemaidengeek]

please everyone take two minutes to enjoy my favorite a capella group VoicePlay having an absolute blast with Wellerman

[playvoices]

I can sense your horror .ᐟ

[nerdhappenings]

Boy Bands in 5 Minutes - Voiceplay

[jules-has-notes]

One Dance — Layne Stein music video

Layne may be a big goofball a lot of the time, but he's also a son, brother, husband, father, and friend who loves his extended family fiercely. When faced with the prospect of returning to the road for more than a day or two just a few months after the birth of his youngest daughter, Doris, he put this achingly beautiful and vulnerable song out into the world.

Details:

title: One Dance

original performer: Layne Stein

written & arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 26 September 2016

My favorite bits:

the smooth harmonies under the plaintive opening violin melody

the beautiful contrast of using a bouncy vocal melody to deliver such conflicted, melancholy lyrics

those impressive falsetto harmonies in the first chorus

slipping in just a little bit of electronic filtering for fun

pizzicato progressing to full on ukulele-style strumming

building up to the climax and cutting off abruptly to replicate the feeling of having to leave just when things are good

little Doris's soft cooing over the dedication

Trivia:

Layne started studying the violin at age 4. He claims to be out of practice, but it sounds beautiful to me.

This is only one of two songs on his solo project Facebook page to date, but it's not like he isn't keeping busy with other stuff.

[dolphelecat]

Your Turn To Role - VoicePlay

[sarandipitywrites]

oh god they actually did it. the outfits. the arrangement. the DOG. oml i am dying

[ambular-d]

VoicePlay:Black Hole Sun

[fangirl-of-music]

Can we talk about how Layne loves making Geoff sing insanely low/difficult stuff?

For example:

Songs credited to Voiceplay: Valhalla Calling, Oogie Boogie's Song, the Halo Theme

What do all of these videos have in common other than they're performed by the same Acapella group?

That's right: Layne Stein arranged them.

Now, that's not to say that Geoff never writes/arranges difficult songs for the group and for himself on his own YouTube channel (for instance, The Dragonborn Comes), but he tends to be more humble about his own abilities. Sure, he shows off and loves to push himself to hit lower notes, but he knows the limit of his vocal abilities and likes to write parts specifically made for the other members of the group.

Layne, on the other hand, takes his turn at arranging for the month, and goes:

Layne: Geoff, how low can you sing?

Geoff: *gives him a reasonable answer*

Layne: okay yeah, sounds good.

*time passes between the conversation and the song being arranged and ready to record*

Geoff: *listens to his part for the song* Layne what is this. I told you I can sing a C1. But here you have me singing an A flat -3!

Layne: I don't see the problem >:)

[yoursinharmony]

Scrambled Egg Challenge GEOFF VS LAYNE - VoicePlay #cooking #food #eggs

These guys are the silliest 😂

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hoist The Colours

Oh boy, we're heading into the big ones now!

Hoist The Colours was uploaded on September 18, 2021, and features Jose Rosario Jr in his second collaboration with Voiceplay. This one stunned a lot of reactors (one of them, Dennis King of King Family Reacts, literally got up and left the room after the video was finished because he had been rendered speechless by it!), and the video currently sits at 4.6 million views (close to 4.7!) (EDIT/UPDATE: as of the night of the 8th of March, it's now at 4.7, close to 4.8!). So without further ado, let's get right into this one, and hope I don't have to start paying attention to my screenshot count!

Can you believe this was only Cesar's second (full-length) video as a full-time Voiceplay member? Because wow

(Also interestingly enough, Rick Underwood is credited with makeup in the video description (shoutout to Rick!) but no one is credited with costuming, so did everyone just acquire their outfits themselves or what?)

Geoff was in charge of the video creation for this one, as well as doing the arrangement, and he worked together with Eli for the lighting design, so big shoutout to Geoff! (And as always to Eli the lighting whiz)

OKAY a few things to talk about here

First of all, love the set design, it's like the Little Mermaid Medley but on steroids and more pirate themed! Also love the horn-playing skeleton on the left-hand side of the screen (took me a while to notice it ngl 😅)

And of course the outfits/costuming! I can't really think of a lot of things to say individually right now, but there was 100% a lot of thought and effort that went into the clothes (even if the description won't specify who acquired the clothes. I'm going to assume Geoff, since the overall video credit goes to him.)

Oh hey it's my blog banner/background, or close enough to it at least! (Hoist The Colours has a decent few very cool visual moments that are totally screencap-worthy, and of course that's what I'm here for - to point them out!)

Geoff may play the villain (or otherwise just-generally-creepy/spooky/scary guy) a lot in videos, but as of the last few years at least, Eli's often been looking like the one that you really don't wanna pick a fight with. (Also cool ring, and is that fake scar tissue on his head?)

This is a better shot of everyone's outfits actually. A few notes on everyone (except Eli, who I just talked about?)

Cesar: Very ghostly, especially with the cloudy contact lens in one eye. Love the white coat/jacket, and love the pop of colour with the red sash! Also what is he holding/shaking? I thought it was a set of old-fashioned keys, but it doesn't look like it.

Jose: The "captain" of this "motley crew", obviously. Cool coat, and love the sword.

Layne: Not too much going on with his outfit, relatively speaking, but I love the bit of eyeliner under his eyes, and the fake scar on his cheek! (Seriously Rick did a great job here, as he always does)

Geoff: Wearing at least two necklaces, and in true Geoff Castellucci fashion, he's got the top two buttons of his shirt undone (well, gotta show off those necklaces! 😉😁). ALSO, bonus thing that I literally only just realized after taking this screencap, is that Geoff has "VP" on his right arm, done in a way that makes it look like like scar tissue I believe.

That is seriously a very cool and very smooth transition. Who edited this? Was that Geoff too? (Also Crazy Eyes Layne!)

As I figured, one of the necklaces Geoff is wearing, the gold one, is for costume purposes, and the other one, the silver one with the diamond-shaped pendant, is the necklace from Kathy that Geoff basically never takes off (bless him <3 )

I think Cesar's holding old-fashioned shackles/handcuffs or something?

Hang on that skeleton on the left lost his little horn/trumpet and got stabbed?? 😅😂

Yeah Layne had fun in this one I can tell 😁 (also his vest is more detailed than first appears! Very nice!)

What a really freaking awesome shot/moment. In terms of "money shots", these two might in fact be two of the most awesome stills from any Voiceplay video ever (or so far, anyway).

He's got charisma, I'll give him that (also cool necklace!)

How are they just an independent acapella group that make YouTube videos that we can all watch for free? Like seriously, this is top tier stuff (both in terms of the video and the song cover itself), but this wasn't even Voiceplay at their peak! Voiceplay doesn't have a peak! They don't stick to a lane, they take "risks", they get creative, they will sing pretty much anything, and it works

Voiceplay says in the description "we may have gotten a little carried away with this one", but honestly would it really be Voiceplay if they didn't?

Anyway, I've got many more awesome videos ahead of me to write about, so stay tuned!

[b3lph3g0r]

Crackheadedly edited version of Geoff's saddle up (sorry for bad audio 😅)